Young Adult

An irresistible and bittersweet coming-of-age story in the vein of Stranger Things and Stand by Me about a group of misfit kids who spend an unforgettable summer investigating local ghost stories and urban legends. Your students will LOVE this book!

Two Native-American boys have vanished into thin air, leaving a pool of blood behind them. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police has no choice but to suspect the very worst, since the blood that stains the parched New Mexican ground once flowed through the veins of one of the missing, a young Zuñi. But his investigation into a terrible crime is being complicated by an important archaeological dig – and a steel hypodermic needle. And the unique laws and sacred religious rites of the Zuñi people are throwing impassable roadblocks in Leaphorn’s already twisted path, enabling a craven murderer to elude justice or, worse still, to kill again. High school students LOVE Hillerman – and his books always make for great class discussions.

Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy – he just didn't think it would end in an airport interrogation room. But when faced with a failed relationship, bullies, and blackmail, running away to Rome is his only option. Right?

The summer Hattie turns 12, her predictable small-town life is turned on end when her uncle Adam returns home for the first time in over 10 years. Hattie has never met him, never known about him. He's been institutionalized; his condition involves schizophrenia and autism. Hattie, a shy girl who prefers the company of adults, takes immediately to her excitable uncle, even when the rest of the family – her parents and grandparents – have trouble dealing with his intense way of seeing the world. And Adam, too, sees that Hattie is special, that her quiet, shy ways are not a disability. Newbery Honor Book.

From the author of Tuck Everlasting comes the story of young Joe Casimir, a twelve old boy who’s been raised by his grandmother following the tragic death of his parents as an infant. Perfect alternative to all the negative and disheartening tales that seem to dominate YA lists.

In this hilariously informative take on surviving the trials of middle school and the jungles of South America, Buchholz combines the expertise of National Geographic on nature and adventure with a fun-and-engaging learning approach. Edgy, young, authoritative and amusingly illustrated, this title will grab the attention of any young teen.

A searing look into the world of a single Muslim family in the wake of 9/11. Powerful.

Life gets pretty boring when you can beat the snot out of any villain with just one punch. Think your teenage boys might be intrigued? One of the best ways to hook boys on books nowadays is with Manga. Manga creator “One” began this series as a webcomic, which quickly went viral, garnering over 10 million hits. The illustrations by Yusuke Murata are fabulous, and your boys will HAVE to grab all the other volumes in this series.

Six critically acclaimed, bestselling and award-winning authors – Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon – celebrate the beauty of six couples and the unforgettable magic that can be found on a sweltering starry night in the city in this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious and heartwarming stories.

A severely burned teenager. A guitar. Punk rock. The chords of a rock ‘n’ roll road trip in a coming-of-age novel that is a must-read story about finding your place in the world…even if you carry scars inside and out.

Time has stopped. It has been June 23, 2020 for nearly a year as far as anyone can tell. Frantic adults demand teenagers focus on finding practical solutions to the worldwide crisis. Not everyone is on board, though. Javelin-throwing prodigy Truda Becker is pretty sure her "Solution Time" class won't solve the world's problems, but she does have a few ideas what might. Truda lives in a house with a switch that no one ever touches, a switch her father protects every day by nailing it into hundreds of progressively larger boxes. But Truda has a crow bar, and – one way or another – she’s going to see what happens when she flips the switch.

Many thanks to Tussey Mountain teacher Nathan Thompson for recommending this one, Paulsen’s only attempt at sci-fi (boys LOVE Gary Paulsen). Mark’s solo camping trip in the desert turns into a terrifying and thrilling odyssey when a mysterious beam of light transports him to another time on what appears to be another planet. As Mark searches for a pathway back to his own time on Earth, he must make a new life in a new world. His encounters with primitive tribes bring the joy of human bonds, but violence and war as well – and, finally, a contest in which he discovers his own startling powers.

Dahlia 16 sees her face in every crowd. She’s nothing special – just one of five thousand girls created from a single genome to work for the greater good of the city. But meeting Trigger 17 changes everything. He thinks she’s interesting. Beautiful. Unique. Which means he must be flawed. When Dahlia can’t stop thinking about him she realizes she’s flawed, too. Your teens will LOVE this one!

My high schoolers got a kick out of this easy-to-read memoir. Having taken on the role of Roger Moore’s executive assistant in 2002, Owen became the right-hand man to “James Bond,” as well as his co-author, onstage co-star and confidant. Faithfully at the icon’s side until his passing in 2017, Owen provides a unique and rare insight into life with one of the world’s most beloved actors in this affectionate and amusing book.

I’m always looking for good stories about strong women for my girls, and Shaw provides a compelling and concise look into the life of Joan of Ark. With Saint Joan, which distills many of the ideas Shaw had been exploring in earlier works on politics, religion, feminism, and creative evolution, he reached the height of his fame as a dramatist. Fascinated by the story of Joan of Arc, but unhappy with the way she had traditionally been depicted, Shaw wanted to remove “the whitewash which disfigures her beyond recognition.” He presents a realistic Joan: proud, intolerant, naïve, foolhardy, and brave – a rebel and a woman for Shaw’s time…and our own.